Mumbai: What happens in a mega block during lockdown?

Gangmen conduct repairs in Vasind

The Sunday mega block, the bane of Central Railway (CR) commuters, is back, even as trains are only ferrying essential workers amid the COVID-19 lockdown. mid-day brings to you the details of what railway workers, deemed COVID-19 warriors by the CR, are up to.

"We had a mega block on Sunday, July 12 on the Vidyavihar-Thane up and down lines and the quantum of maintenance work done on this day is much more than the work carried out during night blocks or when trains are not running. CR's COVID-19 warriors were on the job despite heavy rain," a senior official said.

"To start with, this Sunday, we were able to remove the old foot overbridge at Vasind in Raigad district using a road crane as a new bridge has already been put in its place. Tracks were renewed for a 1.54-km stretch between Bhandup and Mulund with about 100 sleepers replaced using a road-rail vehicle along with the removal of 55 scrap rails," he said.

The overhead equipment (OHE) was also strengthened with work carried out using two tower wagons and a ladder gang. Contact wire replacement was done for a length of 250 m; three splices and four weak points were removed. The annual overhauling of OHE (approximately 1 km), turn outs (the mechanism that facilitates the change of tracks), provision and replacement of 40 bonds; provision of 39 plates were executed.

Two digital axle counter sensors were also replaced. The digital axle counter sensors play an important role in the efficient operation of trains in general and during monsoon in particular. The field unit which is a track-side electronic assembly detects the passing wheels and transmits the information to the central evaluator to determine the track occupation.

"Work will be continued next Sunday and this is how slowly the lines, overhead wires, signalling assets and all rail infrastructure is renewed periodically by keeping the traffic going," CR's chief public relations officer Shivaji Sutar said.

Kurla subway flooded again
Passengers and Kurla station are back to the old problems with the east-west subway again going under water. A video taken by resident Subhas Gupta went viral on social media. Passengers are being forced to wade through the water as the alternative railway bridges have also been put under repair. BMC officials said they had taken note of it and would depute a vehicle to pump out the water.

Vasind loses 107-year-old bridge
The foot overbridge that was demolished on Sunday was 107 years old. It had come up during the tenure of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway (GIPR) in 1913. The old bridge with a Warren-type truss was due for replacement and another one was built in its place.

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